A few years ago, we began raising dairy goats here at Blue Rock Station - for milk and cheese. Little did I know how much I would come to love these intelligent, naughty, sometimes difficult but always amazing animals.

I soon found out that goats are the unwanted stepchild of livestock. As I scanned the traditional literature, I found the typical solution to any problem was simply to butcher the animal. Needless to say, this was not my first choice.

The purpose of this guide is to provide some basic steps for caring for a small herd of goats. My advice is rooted in real-life experiences that should enable goat keepers everywhere to use simple, no nonsense methods to help goats maintain a healthy balance of parasites, and to work hard for their owner every day.

Our philosophy is to work with the goat's natural immune system - using probiotics rather than antibiotics to keep the herd healthy. We also recommend practical parasite control, using good care practices as well as herbal remedies - rather than large doses of medication that may hurt the goat and build immunity in the pests.

This newly revised 2012 edition is spiral bound (so you can keep it in your barn for easy reference) and is fully indexed so you can easily find and solve whatever problem your herd is facing. The book is packed with information - without any of the fluff that you often find in similar reference guides.

* Plus shipping ($2.50 within US/Canada/Mexico, $7 outside North America), electronic version has no shipping charge. A 7% sales tax will be added for Ohio residents. The electronic version will be sent to you via e-mail within 24 hours of your order (usually much sooner).